Sindh Minister of Information and Archives and Labor Saeed Ghani said that this year the minimum wage of unqualified workers was increased from Rs 16200 to Rs 17500, which would apply to all factories, industrial zones.
The minister said this while addressing Sindh Assembly question-answer meeting on Monday, a declaration said. Saeed Ghani said the state would guarantee that the employees and laborers would get a set minimum wage.
He said the government will take action if they received any information that the workers or laborers were paid less than the wage set by the Sindh government.
Saeed Ghani said that although it was not feasible to go to every factory and shop to verify whether the employees were paid according to the wage set by the Sindh government, if any complaint was received in this regard, timely action will be taken.
In response to a query, the minister informed the House that the salary board consisted of labor union representatives and owners who continue to press the government to notify the same without delay whenever it announced any rise in the minimum wage.
He said all employees were always conscious of their minimum wages through the labor unions, and besides that different seminars under the Labor Department were the cause of workers’ awareness.
Saeed Ghani said that, while the current hospitals had been upgraded, new hospitals had been established across Sindh under the Labor Department. He added that about Rs 52 million had been spent on the whole project.
Saeed Ghani said that if an organization has taken a worker for more than eight hours and has not paid for it, then it can complain to the Labor Department or Labor Board.
He informed the Sindh Assembly that, under the auspices of sub-section 3 of section 9 of the Labour Laws, such a complaint could carry a six-month jail sentence and a fine of up to Rs 20,000 to Rs 50,000.
In response to a supplementary question, the provincial minister said that if a registered employee died while on duty, then Rs 5 lakh will be paid to his family under the regulations of the Workers Welfare Board.